In early March, redshirt-sophomore center Matt Hennessy was stuck indoors watching film because of heavy snow when he received a surprising phone call.

When Hennessy picked up the phone, freshman offensive lineman Isaac Moore was on the other end asking to meet him at Edberg-Olson Hall to go over film.

Moore has been proactive in his approach to improve as he makes the transition to playing football in America. Coaches and players are excited to see the Örebro, Sweden native reach his potential, Hennessy said.

Coach Geoff Collins said Moore would have likely started at left tackle during Saturday’s 19-17 loss to Villanova if graduate student James McHale couldn’t play due to injury. McHale started the Owls’ season opener at Lincoln Financial Field, but Moore entered as a substitute during the first quarter.

“Since he got here in the winter, he has been really eager to learn,” Hennessy said. “He’ll call me at weird times, weekend morning, random weeknights and say, ‘Hey, you want to go down to the weight room? Let’s go over some technique or go to the film room.’”

“Isaac is acclimating at a rapid pace,” offensive line coach Chris Wiesehan said. “He’s doing a great job in the film room, coming out here and getting better every day. He is doing a great job of getting around the vets in the room and learning from them.”

Moore and three other true freshmen — offensive lineman Adam Klein, tight end David Martin-Robinson and linebacker DaeSean Winston — made the Above the Line list for Saturday’s game, signifying coaches think they’re ready to be in-game contributions.

“We can’t get [Moore] enough reps,” offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude said. “The great thing about him is that he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. So you have to give him as much exposure as you can.”

As a recruit, Moore had a two-star ranking and only received offers from Temple and Towson University, according to Rivals.com.

Patenaude believes if Moore played for a strong high school program in the United States like Bergen Catholic High School, the No. 1 team in New Jersey according to MaxPreps.com, he would have received more than 30 scholarships offers.

“Isaac is doing a great job,” graduate student quarterback Frank Nutile said. “He has really picked everything up. He is a tough guy, a really smart dude. He can help us out now and definitely in the future.”

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The Temple News has been the paper of record for the Temple University community since it first printed as Temple University Weekly on Sept. 19, 1921. The award-winning student publication, editorially independent of Temple, now publishes every Tuesday and daily online. The Temple News distributes 5,000 printed copies, free of charge, to the university’s primary locations in the Delaware Valley.